Justice At The Table

Freedom to Love – Commanded to Love

Posted on June 21, 2012 by jatt79

“I give you a new commandment love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” – John 13:34

Freedom to Love Copyright John M. KIngery 2012

We live during challenging time full of changes, conflict and transitions. As people of faith and good will, we are called to respond to those challenges as Christ would with love. Christ gave us a new commandment that of loving one another.

I read, prayed and reflected on what has been written about “fortnight for freedom” requested by the bishops. What does freedom mean in this context? I believe it means the freedom to love as God call us to. As written in Deuteronomy 6:5 and spoken by Jesus in Matthew 22:37, 39 – “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

This period from June 21 – July 24 can be a time of time of sharing and celebrating what we do in our faith and broader community. An event focused on our love of God expressed through our love for all humanity, not legality, partisanship or politics – a “fortnight for freedom to love”.

Reflect and share what you and your community are doing and can do to be more loving and caring for all. My own parish of St. Juan Diego along with 9 other churches began the Faith Café’ ministry (www.faithcafeor.org) in 2005, the ministry has served over 50,000 meals to those in need in Washington County. Our St. Vincent DePaul chapter is regularly distributing nearly 5 tons of food per month. There is indeed a need in our area and most likely where you live.

Reach out to those in need and work to address the causes of poverty and hunger!

Social Justice Theme

Dignity of the Human Person – Do not rob the poor because they are poor, nor crush the needy at the gate; For the LORD will defend their cause, and will plunder those who plunder them. (Proverbs 22:22-23)

Corporal Act of Mercy

Feed the Hungry – “For I was hungry and you gave me food.” (Matthew 25:35)

Peace,

John

Posted in Live | Leave a comment

Be a voice

Posted on June 19, 2012 by jatt79

Inspired from last year’s social action summer institute (SASI) conference, I wondered where I was being led, how could I use the gift given me? I prayed. I prayed the rosary.

A bench at a vacant restaurant became my place of prayer during the early mornings in August and September. My awareness of the poor and needy grew, especially the 9% unemployed in the state where I live.

As I stood, kneeled and prostrated, I realized how vulnerable, humble and yet trusting Mary was. The poor are vulnerable, humble and struggle to be trusting. We are called love our neighbor just as Elizabeth showed her love for Mary. Meditating on the Jesus’ birth in a stable, “because there was no room for them in the inn”, I faced the fact of homeless in affluent Washington County. I felt the blows as Roman soldiers “spat on Jesus and kept striking him on the head” before his crucifixion. How often are the poor spat upon and struck down?

In August, politicians shouted at each other and ‘played’ to their chosen news (propaganda) outlet or party base. Scant examples of true governance or statesmanship existed. The voice of the poor and vulnerable was absent; they seemingly had no voice. Meditating upon 1 Corinthians 12:7, I realized the budget super committee members all professed affiliation with the Christian faith. They were all given the spirit and call to work for the common good. The 12 to the 7^th campaign grew from that prayer and meditation.

The campaign many faith based gatherings at my parish of St. Juan Diego, the Knights of Columbus, vicariate from October through November. More importantly, I, with my friend Jerry, took the 12 to the 7^th campaign to local super markets where the message resonated with those who stopped by. Over 100 letters and postcards were sent. We took the call from our parishes into our community.

In early October with outstretched arms, I cried, “God, help us!” We had just learned Ann’s medical bills would not be paid by insurance. She had lost sight in her left eye after 50 surgeries. I needed to be a voice for the person closest to me. Six months later, I met with a vice president from the insurance company. Prior to the meeting, I saw in their lobby a picture Ann had done for them 23 years ago. God was with me that day. I left with a letter agreeing all bills would be paid.

My work at Outside In brings me in contact with homeless youth and the poor in downtown Portland, Oregon. We help homeless youth and other marginalized people move towards improved health and self-sufficiency through providing innovative health and social services. I administer the databases and applications used in meeting the healthcare and social service needs of our clients. These tools improve our services to our clients and our ability to share their success with our funders and wider community.

You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord required of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Attending this year’s SASI conference will further strengthen my spirit and voice. Equally important, I will be sharing my technical skills and experience with other attendees. Together we can be an even stronger voice for the poor and vulnerable in our society.

When I return from this yea’s conferernce I will focus the areas of healthcare, homelessness and hunger. Specific goals I have are:

Continuing work on a Freedom to Love campaign with my local vicariate focusing upon what is the basis for social justice work – love for God and our neighbor,
Being a spokesman for health care in the faith community for the Jobs with Justice,
Investigating the intersection of technology, public health, public policy and faith and its impact upon the homeless youth and poor at Outside In.
Share with my parish of St. Juan Diego what I have learned.

Peace,

John

When Jesus Died

Posted on May 14, 2012 by jatt79

My appolgies for a late post. Still, we need to remember that each time we do not treat others with love and respect; we are not continuing the journey. Instead we are acting as boulder in the middle of the road. We are blocking this journey of love. freeedom, truth and justice.

When Jesus died, he died on a cross. The Prince of Peace was on a cross. Reflect on its shape and who crafted it. The manger has now changed shape.

The four legs of the manger now are the four ends of the cross – LOVE, FREEDOM, TRUTH and JUSTICE. A humble carpenter built this cross. We are called to build this cross in our hearts and world too. Yet, the story did not end.

PEACE continued on its JOURNEY.

______________________________________________________________________

Mis appolgies de un puesto de tarde. Sin embargo, debemos recordar que cada vez que no tratamos a los demás con amor y respeto, que no va a proseguir el viaje. En su lugar, están actuando como piedra en medio de la carretera. Estamos bloqueando este camino de amor, libertad, verdad y justicia.

Cuando Jesús murió, murió en una cruz. El príncipe de la paz estaba en una cruz. Reflejo en su forma y quién la hizo. El pesebre ahora ha cambiado de forma.

Las cuatro patas del pesebre ahora son los cuatro extremos de la cruz – AMOR, LIBERTAD, VERDAD y JUSTICIA. Un carpintero humilde construyó esta cruz. Nosotros estamos llamados a construir esta cruz en nuestros corazones y en nuestro mundo también. La historia aún no termina.

La PAZ continuó en su VIAJE.

John M. Kingery

Posted in Solidarity | Leave a comment

Jesus suffers with victims of hunger and loneliness

Posted on April 6, 2012 by jatt79

Station 11: Jesus Is Placed in the Tomb (St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry)

Theme: Jesus suffers with victims of hunger and loneliness

Tema: Jesús sufre con las víctimas del hambre y la soledad

Scripture: John 19: 42

So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.

Reflection by Murray Hills Christian Church: Every day, almost 16,000 children worldwide die from hunger-related causes. That’s one child every five seconds who is laid in the tomb.

More than one in five children lives in households that struggle to put food on the table. That’s 16.2 million children.

In the United States, hunger is not caused by a scarcity of food. There is more than enough food to feed everyone. But this does not matter if customers have no money in their pockets. Poverty spoils every meal.

We live in the world’s wealthiest nation. Yet 15.1 percent of people living in the United States live in poverty.

24% of the students in the Beaverton School District qualify for free and reduced lunches. That is a lot of poverty right here in our backyard. We see these kids and their families in our food pantries. We know them by name.

Prayers: We thank you for the abundance of love and forgiveness which flows from you to all of us.

WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions: Let us pray for those who eat and gather at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, Elsie Stuhr Center, Faith Cafe, St. Mark’s Lutheran, and through Meals On Wheels, that they also find community and be treated with dignity and respect.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

Let us pray for world leaders, that they may intensify their commitment to end world hunger.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

In the coming week we will eat simply and with gratitude, remembering those who do not have enough.

O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

Posted in Option for the Poor | Leave a comment

Jesus stands with the homeless

Posted on April 6, 2012 by jatt79

Station 10: Jesus Dies on the Cross (Apartments)

Theme: Jesus stands with the homeless

Tema: Jesús está con los que están sin casa

Scripture: Luke 23: 44-46

He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.

Reflection by Willamette West Habit for Humanity: Every day in Washington County, low income, hard working families struggle to find affordable housing. The recession, job insecurity, unemployment and rapidly rising rents force families to live in unsafe, unhealthy and overcrowded conditions. Families are forced to move frequently – children transfer from school to school making it difficult to receive a quality education. In Washington County, an average of one student in every classroom is homeless. And so the cycle of poverty continues.

Believing shelter is a matter of conscience, Habitat for Humanity works to eliminates poverty housing and homelessness one house, one family at a time. Beginning in 2008, the St. Pius X Community has sponsored two homes with Willamette West Habitat for Humanity. We worked alongside the Martinez family of four and the Monterroso family of five. Today both families are homeowners, living in simple, decent and affordable Habitat for Humanity built homes.

This year we will again sponsor a home as part of an Interfaith Build at Ramble Glen. Annually, 300 families apply for a Habitat home with Willamette West, yet current funds can only support 5-6 homes a year. Let us pray that more of God’s people will hear the call to work tirelessly to eradicate the social injustices of poverty housing and homelessness.

Prayers: We thank you for the homes we have, and remember that our resources are a gift from you.

WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions: Let us pray for those left homeless after the recent natural disasters in Japan and elsewhere through natural or man-made calamities and to remember that they need our help.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

Let us pray for Habitat For Humanity, who in our own community and around the world work with our neighbors to build sustainable houses and neighborhoods for the working poor.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We commit ourselves to see the homeless, and to support organizations who work to alleviate homelessness. O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

Posted in Option for the Poor | Leave a comment

TODAY WE CARRY OUR CROSS THROUGH THE SUFFERING STREETS OF OUR COMMUNITY

Posted on April 6, 2012 by jatt79

Call to Worship and Petitions: Pastor Kathy Boyes, First United Methodist Church

Let us gather and proclaim the cross of Christ. The cross gathers us to follow Jesus into the city…

WE TAKE UP OUR CROSS TO FOLLOW OUR LORD

Jesus carried his cross through the streets of Jerusalem on this day long ago…

TODAY WE CARRY OUR CROSS THROUGH THE SUFFERING STREETS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

The suffering of people in this city is shared by Jesus…

WE LIFT THIS CROSS OF SUFFERING TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS THE CHRIST IS RECONCILING US TO GOD AND EACH OTHER.

We weep, lament, and are sorrowful because of the suffering we see in this city…

BUT TODAY IS GOOD FRIDAY BECAUSE EVEN SUFFERING AND DEATH CANNOT CRUSH HOPE.

God’s reconciling act in Jesus Christ has turned sorrow into joy…

HEAR OUR PRAYERS, OUR STORIES, AND HEAL OUR WORLD, 0 GOD.

Scripture: John 19:14-18

Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. He said to the people, “Here is your King!” They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him! Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called the place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is Golgotha.

LET THE COMMUNITIES OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST AND LIFE TAKE UP THE CROSS

Processional Song: Were You There?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord

Oh sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble

Were you there when they crucified my Lord

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree

Oh sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree

Posted in Solidarity | Leave a comment

The role of government is to protect human dignity and promote the common good

Posted on April 5, 2012 by jatt79

Station 9: Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments (Social Security Administration)

Theme: The role of government is to protect human dignity and promote the common good

Tema: El papel del gobierno es proteger la dignidad humana y promover el bien común

Scripture: John 19: 23-24

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled (that says): “They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.”

Reflection by Mission of Atonement Church: Social Security provides a basic “floor” of security for workers, their families, and persons with disabilities. Our Christian commitment to each other is expressed through our individual and common actions.

The Social Security program expresses our national solidarity and how all people’s lives—especially those of average- and low-wage workers and their families—are enhanced or diminished.

People of good will must support a social contract that reflects our enduring commitment to those in our community and nation, as members of one human family.

Prayers: We give thanks for the insight that we may not need all the clothes that we have; we are able to give our second coat to someone who has none.

WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions: Let us pray that we recognize those times when what we might say or might do could strip another person of their dignity or worth.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We will build others up, rather than tear them down.

O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

Posted in Community, Family and Participation | Leave a comment

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of God’s creation

Posted on April 5, 2012 by jatt79

Station 8: Jesus Falls the Third Time (Living Wisely)

Theme: We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of God’s creation

Tema: Mostramos nuestro respeto al Creador cuidando la creación de Dios

Scripture: Luke 17: 1-2

He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

Reflection by St. John Fisher Catholic Church:

The burden that crushes Jesus is like the burden of materialism. Every time the world worships things before people, power before justice, and consumption before the spirit, we lose what it means to be human and alive.

Prayers: We give thanks to the Lord for carrying our crosses when we did not have the strength to get up again.

WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions: Let us pray that Jesus Christ pick us up each time we fall.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

Let us pray for the strength to go on when all seems hopeless.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We commit ourselves to live simply so that others may simply live.

O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

Posted in Care for Creation | Leave a comment

Human dignity requires human rights, including health care

Posted on April 5, 2012 by jatt79

Station 7: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem (Natural Medicine)

Theme: Human dignity requires human rights, including health care

Tema: La dignidad humana requiere de derechos humanos, incluyendo cuidado para la salud

Scripture: Mark 10:47-52

As they left Jericho, a great crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “[Lord,] Son of David, have pity on us!” The crowd warned them to be silent, but they called out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on us!” Jesus stopped and called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They answered him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight, and followed him.

Reflection by John Kingery of San Juan Diego Catholic Church: My wife Ann and I cried out for healing last year. Ann lost sight in her left eye after enduring over 50 surgeries over the last 20 years. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

“John, something is wrong with Ann. We are at St. Vincent’s emergency room”, my sister in-law said over the phone that February afternoon last year. I rushed to the hospital. Ann lay on the gurney staring into nothingness when I arrived. When asked to raise her left arm, she raised her right arm. She did not know who I was. I cried, “God, bring her back!” She did comeback.

Ann would experience another episode and undergo additional surgeries on her eye. Two months later, surgeons removed her left cornea, lenses and stents; the eye having been ravaged by fungus. Only darkness was left. She cried on Holy Thursday as the sun set in the western sky. Over the ensuing months, she slowly began to heal and adjust to her new life.

In early October, I received call at work from Ann. She cried, “Blue Cross said we have to pay all of the medical bills.” We had met all the deductibles and made sure everything was pre-authorized. This would wipe out our savings and a significant portion of our retirement. My father-in-law got me in contact with a mutual friend. We were to meet the coming Saturday morning.

Early that morning, I went to our church to pray. With outstretched arms, I cried, “God, help us!” God answered. It took six months culminating in a face to face meeting with a Blue Cross vice president. Prior to the meeting, I saw in their lobby a picture Ann had done for them 23 years ago. God was with me that day. They gave me a letter agreeing to pay all of the bills.

I work for Outside In which provides health care to homeless youth and the poor. I will continue to work and cry out for all who are denied adequate health care. Will you work and cry out too?

Prayers: We pray for doctors, nurses, staff and all health care providers who provide compassionate care.

WE THANK YOU, LORD

Petitions: We pray for the 130,000 infants who die each year because their mothers lack adequate health care.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We pray for the 500,000 who go bankrupt annually due to the cost of health care in our country.

O GOD, HEAR OUR PRAYER

We will work and cry out to our leaders to ensure that health care is truly available to all in our nation.

O LORD, WE WANT TO WALK IN YOUR WAYS

Posted in Rights and Responsibilities | Leave a comment

Freedom to Love – Commanded to Love

When Jesus Died

Jesus suffers with victims of hunger and loneliness

Jesus stands with the homeless

TODAY WE CARRY OUR CROSS THROUGH THE SUFFERING STREETS OF OUR COMMUNITY

The role of government is to protect human dignity and promote the common good

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of God’s creation

Human dignity requires human rights, including health care

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives